Charlie Hunnam’s First Comments on Fifty Shades of Grey Break-Up

While the rest of us were accepting 15-carat engagement rings last night, Charlie Hunnam made his first official statements about his highly publicized departure from the Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation Monday. (For someone who was reportedly skeptical about an onslaught of attention, we commend him on the timing of the comments, which were immediately eclipsed by Kanye West’s pleading Jumbotron proposal.)

At a benefit in Burbank, California, with hisSons of Anarchy co-stars, Hunnam politely fielded questions about his well-being after forfeiting the role of kinky billionaire Christian Grey in exchange for the luxury of being able to look his family members in the eye come Christmas. “I am doing good,” Hunnam told E! “I am just really concentrating on work. It’s been a really busy time. I have had some family stuff going on so just trying to stay focused and stay positive and keep trying to do a good job at work and be with my family and stay positive.” E! posits that the “family stuff” could relate to his father’s death earlier this year, after which Hunnam returned to England to spend time with his family.

Meanwhile, Fifty Shades of Greyproducer Michael DeLuca told the same outlet last night that he and the producing team are searching high and low for their Christian Grey replacement. “We’re looking on your website,” he told E! “We’re looking under rocks in Zimbabwe, in space, on the moon. We’re looking everywhere, but I think in a couple weeks it will be announced and everything will be cool.” As to whether the casting upset will affect when the film will make it to theaters next year, DeLuca said, “We’re on track. The release date [Aug. 1, 2014] is preserved and we’re gonna kind of keep going.” The Hollywood Reporteradds that two actors, Billy Magnussen and Jamie Dornan, tested with director Sam Taylor-Wood and co-star Dakota Johnson last Friday.